Zack Wilson Did Not Disappoint

Author: Zachary Patlin

Editor: Brian Symons

The much-anticipated debut of the number 2 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft has finally arrived. On Saturday, August 14, the NY Jets played their first preseason game of 2021 against their crosstown rival NY Giants. This preseason game was also the coaching debut of Robert Saleh as head coach of the Jets, and the Jets’ performance did not disappoint.

After the opening kickoff to the NY Giants, the Jets defense committed a three-and-out, capped off by a sack by OLB Bryce Huff. The giants went on to punt, as Zack Wilson took the field for the first time in competition against another team in his Jets career.

After a long run play by Ty Johnson following Mechi Becton for 11 yards started off the drive, Mike Lafleur called for the first pass play, and it was a designed rollout for Wilson who hit Corey Davis in stride for 9 yards. In his first career pass attempt, the Jets offensive coordinator put Wilson in a position to succeed, as they allowed him to comfortably roll out to his right behind the O-line and make a throw he has made consistently for years at BYU.

The key to Zack Wilson’s rookie season will depend on two major keys: The first being that the offensive line is able to give him time in the pocket to get his reads and make the right decision without being under heavy pressure. The second is having the coaching staff put him in comfortable play calls that put him in a position to succeed, and they did just that in Saturday night’s opener.

After a couple of third down conversions on the opening drive, the Jets moved into field goal range and converted to take a 3-0 lead. Wilson’s first drive went as planned and he made a couple of plays that showed a lot of promise in his young career.

The second, and final drive played by Wilson in this game, began at their own 9 yard-line. Wilson completed 4 passes on this drive and took the ball into enemy territory, including a 16-yard beautiful throw over the middle to newly acquired Keelan Cole. The Jets, however, did not convert on a 4th and 1 inside of Giants territory and turned the ball over on downs. This signified the end to a short but sweet night for Zack Wilson, showing promise for the future.

There were a few key takeaways from Zack Wilson’s performance on Saturday night and for the most part, they were very positive. Zack was able to make throws in the pocket and rolling out to his right, and the protection was strong enough in front of him to not have to improvise during the two drives. Wilson also made a couple of big throws on third down to move the chains and allow the offense to continue to settle in. The second preseason game will be key to see if he learned anything from the first game, and how we will continuously improve and gain the confidence to take on the Panthers and former Jets QB, Sam Darnold, in week one.

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